Just like in 2017, Makonda yet again threatens to name ministers defaming the President

Paul Makonda, the newly appointed Arusha Regional Commissioner, has claimed that he knows some people, including government officials, who send people to defame President Samia Suluhu Hassan on social media, claiming that some of them are cabinet ministers.

Speaking in Monduli on Friday, April 12, during a memorial service for the late Prime Minister Edward Moringe Sokoine, the former Dar RC and CCM publicity secretary threatened to name the rogue appointees.

Though the statement was made in the northern part of Tanzania, it reverberated across the country.

It has since rattled feathers in the political circles and polarised opinion, with some questioning the audacity of the RC, who says he is on a personal crusade to safeguard the image of the presidency.

This is not the first time that Mr. Makonda has embarked on such a mission, and it is not clear what he really wants to achieve with this new campaign, which has raised many questions.

History has it that Makonda is indeed a very daring man and will follow through with his threat unless the alleged people behind the smear campaign retreat.

The threat to name the errant ministers brought back nostalgic memories of February 2, 2017, when he embarked on a mission to fight drug dealers in Dar es Salaam.

In the glare of cameras and live television coverage, he named politicians, prominent businesses (hospitality), businessmen, and even the clergy, ordering them to report to the Central Police station with immediate effect.

Some of those named included Chadema Chairman Freeman Mbowe, businessman Yusuf Manji, and maverick preacher Josephat Gwajima.

Then, on February 13, 2017, he handed over 97 names of the so-called drug dealers to the anti-narcotics commissioner, Sianga.

Mr Makonda’s move, which was claimed to be aimed at ridding Dar es Salaam of narcotics elements, triggered not only a nationwide debate but even a tug of war between the National Assembly and the Executive.

Observers then urged caution; they were doubtful if the Dar RC would succeed in his pursuit of the so-called drug dealers; he was dealing with criminal matters whose standard of proof is beyond reasonable doubt that prosecution required watertight evidence to secure conviction and mere hearsay was only the entry point.

To date, some believe that apart from the shaming of the so-called drug lords and the harassment that followed, including some being locked up, there was never any conviction, rendering the exercise a losing battle because the list was released without gathering watertight evidence and therefore hollow.

But as the debate surrounds his past failures, some believe that this time around, the RC has enough evidence to nail the ministers who are allegedly sponsoring hooligans to defame Madam President on social media.

Whether the lists are part of his KPI as the Arusha RC is something that remains debatable, but the deafening silence that followed the utterance in Monduli spoke volumes.